11/21/2008 - Montreal, QC (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Montreal Alouettes will definitely have home-field advantage for the Grey Cup.
The Alouettes will have the support of 60,000-plus rabid supporters on Sunday when they take on the Calgary Stampeders at Olympic Stadium.
Grey Cup organizers are hopeful that this year's game will attract more spectators than the 68,000-plus that turned out to watch Montreal defeat Edmonton 41-6 in the '77 CFL championship game. That year, the Grey Cup was played outdoors on a frozen turf that, appropriately enough, better resembled an ice hockey rink than football field.
Defensive back Tony Proudfoot's idea to put staples through the bottom of his shoes for better traction proved to a novel one as the Alouettes were much better able to get their footing on the slippery playing surface than the Eskimos.
Weather won't be a factor this time around, though, as Olympic Stadium is now a domed facility. But that will create a definite advantage for Montreal.
The partisan Alouettes gathering will definitely be a noisy one, living on the home team's every move. However, Montreal fans are definitely educated fans, having learned the value of being quiet when the home team has the ball, then perking up once the defense takes the field.
Home field was very important this season to Montreal, who finished in a four- way tie for the CFL's top home record at 7-2. However, the Alouettes were just 3-5 against West Division teams and 0-2 versus the Stampeders.
Montreal also has history working against it. The last CFL team to win the Grey Cup at home was the 1994 B.C. Lions. But a year after Montreal posted a dismal 8-10 record and bowed out of the first round of the CFL playoffs, it finds itself playing in is sixth Grey Cup game in nine years, thanks to an innovative rookie head coach.
The Alouettes decision this off-season to hire Marc Trestman was certainly met with some skepticism. After all, Trestman had spent time coaching with eight NFL teams over 17 years, including four terms as an offensive coordinator, and came to Montreal with no previous coaching experience in Canada.
But Trestman installed a quick-passing offense that has very much suited Anthony Calvillo. The 15-year CFL veteran threw a CFL-high 43 touchdown passes and was second overall in passing with 5,633 yards to capture the league's outstanding player for a second time.
And Trestman's offense certainly has the ability to give its home fans plenty to cheer about. The Alouettes were tops in the CFL in scoring, (32.4 points per game), yards per game (429) and passing percentage (69.5 percent).
Montreal also featured three 1,000-yard receivers in Jamel Richardson (98 catches, 1,287 yards, league-high 16 TDs), Ben Cahoon (league-best 107 catches, 1,231 yards, seven TDs) and Kerry Watkins (84 catches, 1,178 yards, 10 TDs).
Running back Avon Cobourne gives Montreal a double threat. Midway through the season he was threatening to become the first player in CFL history to accumulate 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in the same season.
Injuries ended Cobourne's historic run, but he's back and healthy now, having rushed for 950 yards and caught 66 passes for 616 yards.
Montreal also fields a tough defense that was second in sacks (43) and third in fewest points allowed (23.5 points per game). Linebacker T.J Hill finished fifth overall in tackles with a team-high 84 while cornerback Davis Sanchez, a former San Diego Charger, led the squad in interceptions with three.
Special teams are in good hands. Damon Duval was second in the CFL in scoring (206 points, good on 44 of 53 field goals) and third in punting with a 46.2- yard average.
Larry Taylor was a one-man show in Montreal's 36-26 East Division win over Edmonton, returning two punts for touchdowns.
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March Madness odds and printable March Madness brackets
With the field of 64/65 set, MySportsbook.com has the Florida Gators as the 4-1 favorite to successfully defend their National Championship. Men’s Division-1 College Basketball has not seen a team repeat as National Champions since Duke won back to back championships in ’91 & ‘92. After losing three out of four late in the season, the Gators are full of momentum as they won their last four games by an average of 18 points. Not surprisingly, right behind the Gators are the other three top seeds: Kansas 5-1, UNC 6-1, and Ohio State 7-1. Many consider Kansas to be the hottest team in the country, having won 11 straight. With Kansas, it is hard to ignore all of the early exits from the “dance” in recent years. With an impressive ACC Tournament, UNC ensured themselves the other top seed. UNC has about as much talent as any other team in the tournament but with a team that’s best players are primarily freshman and sophomores, could youth be a concern. Behind freshman sensation, Greg Oden, OSU will look to do what their football team failed to do just a few months earlier. OSU seems to have peeked at the right time, as they currently have a 17 game winning streak. Since the tournament field was expanded in 1985, there has never been an instance where all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four. It is obvious that each of the top seeds have the talent to make it through to Atlanta. But as everyone knows, when makes the NCAA Tournament so special are all of the spoilers and “Cinderella” stories that knock off the favorites on a daily basis.
Be sure to logon to MySportsbook.com to see check out all of the early lines and “March Madness” props. Also be sure to enter the “$10,000,000 Perfect Bracket Contest”. If someone has the skills to predict every winner, they will be set for life and walk away with $10,000,000. Even if no one can cash in on the Grand Prize, with a $35,000 guaranteed prize pool and a Mazda RX-8 to the first prize winner, Sportsbook.com’s bracket is a must for all “March Madness” fans.
MySportsbook.com’s odds to win the Championship and Regions:
| EAST | National Championship | Region |
| Arkansas | 300-1 | 50-1 |
| Belmont | 1000-1 | |
| Boston College | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Eastern KY | 1000-1 | |
| George Washington | 75-1 | |
| Georgetown | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| Marquette | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Michigan State | 100-1 | 25-1 |
| New Mexico St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| UNC | 6-1 | 6-5 |
| Oral Roberts | 500-1 | |
| Texas | 15-1 | 5-1 |
| Texas Tech | 200-1 | 5-1 |
| USC | 75-1 | 20-1 |
| Vanderbilt | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Washington State | 40-1 | 15-1 |
| WEST | ||
| Duke | 50-1 | 10-1 |
| Florida A&M | 1000-1 | |
| Gonzaga | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Holy Cross | 300-1 | |
| Illinois | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Indiana | 75-1 | 40-1 |
| Kansas | 5-1 | 13-10 |
| Kentucky | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| Niagara | 1000-1 | |
| Pittsburgh | 40-1 | 8-1 |
| Southern Ill. | 50-1 | 12-1 |
| UCLA | 10-1 | 3-2 |
| VCU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Villanova | 100-1 | 40-1 |
| VA Tech | 50-1 | 15-1 |
| Weber St | 1000-1 | |
| Wright St | 1000-1 | 300-1 |
| MIDWEST | ||
| Arizona | 50-1 | 30-1 |
| Butler | 40-1 | 30-1 |
| Davidson | 300-1 | |
| Florida | 4-1 | 4-5 |
| Georgia Tech | 75-1 | 25-1 |
| Jackson State | 1000-1 | |
| Maryland | 30-1 | 6-1 |
| Miami-OH | 300-1 | |
| Notre Dame | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| ODU | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Oregon | 40-1 | 6-1 |
| Purdue | 300-1 | 60-1 |
| Texas A&M CC | 1000-1 | |
| UNLV | 100-1 | 30-1 |
| Winthrop | 500-1 | 100-1 |
| Wisconsin | 15-1 | 7-2 |
| SOUTH | ||
| Albany | 200-1 | |
| BYU | 200-1 | 40-1 |
| Central CT St. | 1000-1 | |
| Creighton | 100-1 | 35-1 |
| Long Beach St. | 500-1 | 200-1 |
| Louisville | 40-1 | 10-1 |
| Memphis | 30-1 | 4-1 |
| Nevada | 75-1 | 35-1 |
| North Texas | 500-1 | |
| Ohio State | 7-1 | 6-5 |
| Penn | 500-1 | |
| Stanford | 200-1 | 50-1 |
| Tennessee | 100-1 | 20-1 |
| Texas A&M | 12-1 | 11-5 |
| Virginia | 75-1 | 18-1 |
| Xavier | 100-1 | 40-1 |
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